CamelBak Products has acquired the tactical glove manufacturer, Southwest Motorsports Enterprises, Inc.
“When CamelBak was looking to continue its growth in the tactical marketplace, Southwest Motorsports came to everyones minds immediately,” said Chuck Hunter, senior vice president and general manager of CamelBaks government, military and industrial division. “Their designs are innovative, the quality is the best on the market, and, most importantly, soldiers absolutely love the product. Martina Hutchinson has built a brand worthy of CamelBaks tough standards and we couldnt be happier that she decided to join our family.”
Headquartered in Phoenix, AZ, Southwest Motorsports has been one of the U.S. militarys top manufacturers of form fitting gloves for tactical and combat applications since 1994. Martina Hutchinson, Southwest Motorsports founder and president, took a great design idea from the automotive marketplace and leveraged it into a successful business catering to militaries around the world.
“Southwest Motorsports takes great pride in producing dependable, combat-proven gloves using the finest materials and workmanship available,” said Martina Hutchinson. “From day one, we have guaranteed 100% user satisfaction because we understand our customers depend on their gear for more than just comfort in combat situations. I chose to join the CamelBak brand because they share the exact same philosophy and actually listen to the soldiers when designing and developing new products.”
CamelBaks extensive United States and foreign production capabilities will help meet increasing sales requirements for the U.S. government and armed services.
In August 2004, Southwest Motorsports was awarded $7,157,000 to produce Combat Gloves with KEVLAR® brand fiber plus Anti-Stat for the U.S. Army. Mrs. Hutchinson will now lead and expand CamelBaks tactical glove business as vice president of protection products.
During the 2006 SHOT Show in Las Vegas, Mrs. Hutchinson will debut two, brand new glove designs; the Vent Glove and Fast Grip Glove. The new products will be offered in tan and gray, and be the lightest and most durable form fitting combat gloves ever designed specifically for shooters in hot climates.
“The feedback we received from both Iraq and Afghanistan really drove the design and development of the new gloves,” said Mrs. Hutchinson. “Now, utilizing CamelBaks vast resources, we will be working on many other wonderful design concepts that came directly from the troops overseas.”
In August 2005, CamelBak announced its partnership with Mystery Ranch in Bozeman, MT, and its desire to work directly with the special operations community on large pack and load bearing development. CamelBak will continue to grow and expand its product portfolio during the next several years as opportunities with high-quality tactical product manufacturers become available.
